Since they left La Condesa this summer, Austinites have waited with bated breath to see what executive chef Rene Ortiz and pastry chef Laura Sawicki would do next. Today, they filled us in.
The dynamic duo is pairing with Fresa's Chicken al Carbon owners Margaret Vera and Tracy Overath (formerly of McGuire Moorman Hospitality) to open a new, multirestaurant property in East Austin sure to fulfill all our culinary dreams.
The new restaurant group's first project? Launderette — part cafe, part grocery — which will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. Look forward to "real food" in a "classic cafe setting" from Ortiz and Sawicki, both of whom have been nominated for the James Beard Awards (Sawicki won).
The newly formed restaurant group also plans on opening Angry Bear, a Chinese food take-out, on the same property as Launderette. While the exact East Austin location has yet to be confirmed, architects Clayton & Little and Craig Nasso have signed on to do the architectural design, and Rain Lily will oversee landscape design.
In addition to this new East Austin project, the restaurant duo plans on expanding Fresa's Chicken al Carbon and adding additional locations. It should be noted that Ortiz and Sawicki have no plans to make major menu changes to the popular chicken take-out spot.
Former La Condesa executive chef Rene Ortiz
